The Learn-Teach-Learn Career Path

September 14, 2013

Incidentally, this is not only a career path, but a path towards development and mastery of any form of wisdom or skill.

It starts with getting interested. Interest is like a spark, which, with sufficient tending, can be kindled into the flame of passion. Passion is what drives you to learn everything that you can about something.

But passion cannot grow, and will eventually extinguish itself, without a source of fuel. This is provided by teaching. You don’t need to know everything to teach, you just need to know enough to be able to help someone. As you learn about your passion, the urge to re-communicate what you are learning will be a natural by-product. Embrace this; do not let it go to waste.

Teach whomever you can, help whomever you can, and let this teaching be a driving force behind further learning. As you teach about your passion, the urge to advance your own knowledge, skill, and wisdom will arise as a natural by-product. Embrace this; do not let it go to waste.

Learning leads to teaching leads to learning. Following this upward spiral will take you to heights of achievement and perspective you can’t foresee. Your value to others is not fixed and static, nor is it dependent on environmental or economic conditions, and it will always be growing as long as you are participating in this virtuous cycle.